Emerald Twilight
by emeralddusk
Summary: The battle for everything begins.    Continuing on Frank's Death, A Death in the Family, and Stephanie's Diary.
1. Tainted by Death

**I dedicate this story to my loving mother and a good friend for helping me through a dark time in which I doubted myself, and didn't know what to do. The worst is over now.**

Emerald Twilight

The sky was painted entirely with yellow and red with streaks of orange from various jets that had flown through the air earlier that day. The air was cool and crisp, and it felt like home. Miley leaned against Jesse atop a grass-covered hill, overlooking the city of Malibu, which was illuminated with green and yellow lights from buildings, street lights, and cars speeding through town.

"I'm really glad we found each other," said Miley, her voice gentle and loving.

"Me too," replied Jesse, abandoning his "bad boy" attitude, and giving into his love for his girlfriend.

The two leaned towards each other, preparing to kiss. Suddenly, a violent explosion sounded from high above them. The teens' hearts skipped a beat, and they looked up to the sky to find what had just happened.

Meanwhile, in Queens, New York, Raymond Barone sat on a couch in the living room, his heart heavy as he stared at a black-and -white picture of Frank, his late father. The Italian man could still see his father's final moments: the doctors had informed the Barones that Frank would not survive his devastating heart attack. Frank knew this, so he made sure his last hours were spent with his family and their loved ones. Following Last Rites, the elderly man felt his life fade from him, and asked Raymond and Robert to take his hands. The brothers agreed: Raymond took the left hand and Robert took the right. Debra gently grabbed Raymond's hand, and Amy did the same for Robert. Marie laid down on Frank's chest, knowing it would be the last time she could touch him.

"Thank you," Frank whispered. The elderly man then closed his eyes, and turned his head to the side. The room fell silent.

The memory ended, and Raymond set the picture down on the coffee table. _I have to move on_ he told himself. _It's what Dad would want._

"Ray," Debra called from the kitchen. "Are you alright? You've been awful quiet."

"I-I'm fine," replied Ray, wiping a the tears from his eyes.

The redheaded woman walked into the living room, a look of concern in her face. "No, Ray..." she said. "...You're not." Debra sat down next to Raymond, and put her hand on his leg. ""You're still in a lot of pain over your dad. Let me help you."

"I'm fine, Debra," Raymond replied, his voice short. "I just... need to be alone." The Italian man stood up, and went upstairs.

Debra sighed, having failed yet again to help her husband. Times had been so hard ever since Frank's passing.

A great explosion tore through the air, its origins from the very sky. Debra jumped forward, her heart pounding, and her breath heavy.

"What was that?" she asked herself, her voice reduced to a terrified whisper.

In Waverly Place subsection, New York City, Jerry, Theresa, and Alex Russo sat at the family table, their hearts heavy.

"I don't believe this happened to Justin," declared Jerry.

"I know," replied Theresa. "But Julliet's dying changed him so much."

Alex remembered the painful moments, the moments that tore Justin's mind: Juliet a vampire gifted with a soul, knowledge of right and wrong, and a conscious. She was tall with long, curled blond hair, and had a somewhat pale complexion. She was 2,000 years old, but had the body and maturity of a teenager. The girl lived with her parents, Alucard and Cindy Vanhusten, two vampires with compassion for humans, but lacking hearts or souls to combat their vicious blood lust.

Justin met Juliet when her parents opened a sandwich shop across the street from the Russo's. At first, their parents forbade them to date, just as in Shakespeer's story of Romeo and Juliet, due to the rivalry of their businesses. However, the two teenagers managed to form a relationship in secret. At one point, the two revealed their deepest secrets: Justin's being a wizard, and Juliet's vampireism.

After persuasion, the two got their parents to accept their love. Unfortunately, the Vanhusten parents' need for human blood lead them to attack Alex and Max Russo. Alex survived, but Max was savagely killed. As punishment for their atrocity, Alucard and Cindy banished themselves to Antarctica, a frozen wasteland where they would no longer be able to prey on the innocent. Despite this, Juliet stayed in New York, destined to be with Justin. For this time, the two were happy, but things soon took a turn for the worst: The Russo family, other than Justin, had trouble accepting Juliet after what her parents had done to Max, to their family. Alex hated Juliet for Alucard and Cindy's deed, but found it in herself to forgive her after coming to terms with her younger brother's death, and accepting the fact that it wasn't the girl's fault. As the family grew close to Juliet, though, her ex-lover, Mason, a werewolf, came to the city, searching for his old love.

The boy instead fell for Alex, but soon became violently jealous of Justin for "stealing" Juliet from him, and tried to kill him. In the end, Juliet was forced to bite Mason, reverting him into a wolf. The werewolf managed to cut the vampire girl's arm with his claw before he was turned into a wolf, causing her to lose her powers, and die of old age.

Justin was devastated, and searched for a way to revive his lost love. Knowing using magic would mean unbearable punishment, the teen gathered Juliet's ashes, and went to the famed Land of Vampires, where a way to reanimate deceased vampires was rumored to exist. Justin then discovered that the valley had been destroyed by an unknown force, and desperately cast a spell to save Juliet and the Land of Vampires, to make sure he'd never lose her. The spell worked, but the Wizard Council captured Justin before he and Juliet could reunite. The boy assumed his love had not been brought back to life, and sank into a deep depression.

Once in the Wizard Realm, Justin was put on trial, and his great remorse and fear caused his mind to collapse. The wizard then killed the Wizard Council, and absorbed their magic. The Realm was destroyed, and Justin departed into space.

Alex pulled her mind back to the present. "What do you think he's gonna do?" she asked her parents.

"I don't know," replied Jerry, gravely. "But we have to stop him."

The explosian roared above the town, and the Russo family felt their hearts sink.

"Justin," Alex sorrowfully whispered.

In the infinite blackness of outer space, Justin flew through the stars and gasses, his new magic powers granting him flight, and the ability to survive without oxygen. _Soon,_ he told himself. _Things will be different. I'll never have to experience another death again. We'll be together forever, Juliet._

Back on Earth, the winds grew more violent. The oceans stop flowing, and became crystalized. The skies over California became scarlet. The skies over New York turned dark blue, and the stars shined through them. The entire world was changing.


	2. The Sacrifice

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 2

People screamed, and desperately tried to grab onto anything solid as the powerful winds tore their cities apart all around them. Trees were torn from the ground, cars were lifted into the air like paper clips under a large magnet, and buildings were shattered and carried into the wind. A blond-haired woman, who was clenching a tree, screamed so loud her throat felt as though it was tearing, and was sucked into the sky.

"What's going on?" Sonny yelled, hiding in a storm cellar.

"I don't know," answered Tawny, her voice shaking with fear.

Meanwhile, in Malibu, Miley and Jesse were sitting on the couch in the Stewarts' living room. Lilly and Oliver were sitting in the chairs on opposite sides of the couple.

"Aren't you two worried about that explosion last night?" asked Lilly.

"Hey," replied Jesse, his voice cocky. "My place has a basement. I'm set."

Oliver rolled his eyes. The brown-haired boy never liked Jesse, and wasn't willing to change his mind now.

"What if it's more than that?" Lilly persisted. "What if those terrorist idiots are attacking the coast or something?"

"Lilly," Miley comforted. "You worry too much. It was probably just thunder."

"Doubt it," Lilly sassily defended herself.

"Can we just forget it?" Jesse shortly interrupted. "Is anything really gonna get solved by having a debate about it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Miley answered. The girl then leaned in, and kissed her boyfriend on his lips.

Just then, Robbie ran inside, a look of panic on his face, and his breath heavy.

"Dad, what's wrong?" asked Miley, pulling away from Jesse.

"Something's happened," replied Robbie.

The cold, dark embrace of outer space comforted Justin as he soared through the cosmos. No matter how much he was suffering, how much his shattered heart burned, he knew he would soon have relief. That was all that kept him alive, all that fueled his rage.

On Earth, in Seattle, Washington, Carly Shay, a teenage girl with long, brown hair, walked over to a headstone with "Samantha Shay: Forever a Friend" engraved in its stone surface. The sky was black, and rain was pouring down on the Earth.

The teenager set a small handful of flowers in front of the stone, and just stared at it for a moment. A tear slipped from her eye, and fell on the headstone. "I still love you...sis," she whispered, her voice shaking with sorrow.

Suddenly, the clouds above Carly seemed to shatter, revealing dramatically dark blue-colored sky. The girl looked at the sky, and dropped her mouth in shock.

Back in Queens, New York, the Barone family hid in Ray's office in the basement.

"Daddy, I'm scared," said Michael, his fear burning in his throat.

"...It'll be okay," Raymond comforted his son. "It'll be okay." The man put his arms around Michael, Jeffery, Ally, and Debra.

Marie, in turn, put the family in a loving, comforting embrace. For that instance, the Barones focused only on each other, the only family they had left. The fear of what was happening in the world around them subsided.

"I love all of you," Debra whispered.

In Waverly Place, New York, New York, Alex, Jerry, and Theresa looked out their window as people took cover from the vicious winds. Street lights and the windows of buildings began to shatter, raining glass down on the frightened citizens, killing roughly ten people on the spot.

Theresa closed her eyes at the grizzly sight.

"We have to do something," Alex declared. "We can't let Justin do this."

"Alex..." replied Jerry, his voice grave. "There's nothing we can do."

Alex dropped her head, her body filling with depression over her father's words, and letting her long, black hair cover her sorrowful face. Tears began to well up in her eyes, blurring everything in sight for her.

"But there is something you can do," Jerry added.

Alex looked up at her dad, her cheeks red, and her eyes still blurred with tears. "Whatter you talking about?" she asked, her voice showing her confusion and concern.

"No mortal can follow him now," Jerry answered, trying to be sympathetic to his suffering daughter, but still trying to express how dire the situation was. "But you can... You can stop him before he gets to the center of the universe..."

"And talk some sense into him," Alex hopefully completed.

"...I think it's too late for that, angel," Theresa answered, holding down the painful lump forming in her throat, trying to suppress the pain she felt for her lost son.

"W-what are you saying?" Alex demanded, the tears heavily welling up in her eyes, and her sadness and fear turning into rage. "You want me to kill him? You're giving up on him? Your son?"

"Alex, it's not like that," Jerry tried to assure his daughter. "We love Justin. I'd rather die than let this happen,... but we don't have a choice anymore... You have to do this, Alex."

"No," Alex replied, her voice trembling. "No! Nooo!" Alex's screams tore through her throat, and she ran out of the room, now openly crying.

Theresa covered her eyes, and cried. Jerry sank into his chair, and stared into space, losing his will to keep going.

In Alex's room, the teen laid on her bed, tightly clenching her forehead as the painful reality burned in her mind. Tears poured from her tired and red eyes. "Justin," she sorrowfully whispered. She knew her brother was lost, but accepting it tore her up inside like an rabid dog in a room made of cotton.

The night dragged on. Minutes felt like hours. Alex screamed as loud as she could until her throat throbbed and turned raw. The teen punched the wall, tore the sheets off her bed, knocked the lamp off her dresser, then dropped hard on her knees and openly cried.

The Latino crawled onto her bed, exhausted from her fit, and closed her heavy and burning eyes. Alex's mind was ablaze fear, anger, and sorrow. Suddenly, the teen's eyes shot open. Alex then grabbed a wooden wand with a red crystal on its end from under her bed, and concentrated on what she wanted, what she desperately needed.

A ball of light appeared in the room, and a blond girl appeared. "Alex," she said, surprised. "H-how did I..."

"Listen Teddy," Alex interrupted. "I have a huge secret to tell you. I really need a friend right now."

"...Alright," replied Teddy, accepting the fact that she had been friends with Alex for years, and that she was needed now more than ever.

Meanwhile, Justin violently tore through outer space, his eyes burning, his body aching and tired, but his fury prevented him from quitting. His mind was locked on his goal. Soon, the teen's surroundings turned red as he entered a gas belt. "Julieeeeet!" he screamed, the rage erupting from his throat.

Back on Earth, the skies grew black, the trees shed their bark and leaves, and frosted into diamonds. Grass died, the winds became tornadoes, and the very ground began to tear apart.

People screamed as they watched buildings sink into the abyss, the landscape rise into fearsome mountains. Cars swerved off the roads to escape the gaps waiting to swallow them, and collided with each other, shattering windshields, caving in the doors, and killing several of the passengers. Other cars hit the sides of buildings, crushing the hoods, causing air bags to inflame in the drivers' faces, and breaking the necks of those who were driving too fast. Screams of fear, pain, and misery filled the air as the winds raged.

Soon, morning came, and the city was silent, and stained with the essence of death. Debris covered the streets, buildings bore their ravaged remains to the public, and bodies were scattered on the road.

In Waverly Place, New York, Alex cried as she gave her last painful secret to Teddy. "That's it," the girl concluded. "I'm sorry."

"...I-I don't believe this," said Teddy, standing up out of her chair. "You're really a wizard?"

Alex nodded.

"How could you hide this from me?" asked Teddy.

"I didn't have a choice," answered Alex, trying to steady her voice. "It's the rule that wizards don't tell mortals. I begged the Council so many times, but they never listened."

"...Why did you come to me about all of this?" Teddy finally asked.

"You were my best friend," Alex replied. "You know me better than anyone else. Please... please help me."

Teddy thought for a minute. "...Okay," she answered. "Friends don't quit on friends. Especially not while they're going through something like this."

Alex smiled with relief, and hugged her friend. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you... What do I do?"

"...I-I don't know," replied Teddy, her heart shattering. "You have to make that decision for yourself."

Alex sat down on her bed, her mind and heart racing with anger, confusion, and fear, fear of what she had to do. A teenager should never have to face this kind of torture, having to kill her own flesh and blood after he had suffered so long. "I can't do this," she whispered. "Not alone."


	3. Gathering

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 3

The sky was black, and lightning viciously flashed among the clouds. The world underneath rested in a dark barrier of fear.

"Are Robert and Amy okay?" Debra asked Ray.

"Yeah," replied Raymond. "But my cell phone died."

"Dad, when is the storm gonna stop?" asked Michael.

"I don't know," answered Raymond. "But don't worry, we're gonna be alright."

"Yeah," Ally comforted. "It'll be over soon." The teenage girl put on a false smile for her young brothers.

In a flash, the Barone family was gone.

Meanwhile, in Malibu, Miley, Robbie, Jackson, and Lilly vanished from the living room. Jesse jumped back on the couch, and Oliver felt his heart skip a beat. _What happened?_ he asked himself. _Not Miley._

Carly sat on the couch next to Spencer and Freddie, watching Girlie Cow. The room burned white light, and the three disappeared.

Suddenly, Ray, Debra, Robert, Marie, Ally, Michael, and Jeffery Barone, Miley and Robbie Stewart, Lilly Trescott, Carly and Spencer Shay, and Freddie Benson appeared in the The Wizard Layer in the Russo's personal apartment. The morning's sky was overcast, but the storm had settled.

The group looked around in confusion, asking questions among themselves. Jerry, Theresa, Alex, Teddy, and Dragon, the Russo's dog stood in front of the startled people.

"What's going on?" asked Robbie, his mind spinning.

"Yeah, what the hell is this?" demanded Lilly.

"I needed help," Alex answered, feeling shame for what she was doing: dragging innocent people into her fight. "I'm a wizard, and my desire for something strong to lean on manifested itself inside my magic powers, and brought all of you here."

"That's ridiculous," exclaimed Robert, still trying to fathom what was happening.

"And this isn't?" Spencer replied, looking around at the mysterious place he found himself in. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Alex Russo," Alex answered. "And my brother is the one who caused the storms. It not his fault, but I have to stop him. The Wizard Council is dead, and I'm sure the monsters they fought against know that. I need you to stop them. There's no telling what they'll do if they get at this layer."

"But why us?" asked Lilly. "What makes us so special?"

"I don't know," replied Alex. "But my magic wouldn't summon you if you weren't meant to do this... I'm sorry to bring you here,... but we need you."

The astonished citizens looked at one another, wondering what to do. The situation sounded incredible, but the emotions they saw in Alex couldn't be a masquerade.

Raymond dropped his head, too depressed to make a difference, too depressed for anything.

"...I'm in," Carly said, breaking the silence.

"Me too," added Spencer, wanting mostly to protect his baby sister.

"Same here," replied Miley.

"If you're goin', I'm goin'," said Robbie, optimistically.

"...I'm in too," added Lilly.

"If Carly's in this, than so am I," Freddie joined in.

"Yeah," replied Robert. "I'm in." The man then turned to Raymond, and gravely said, "Tell Amy I love her."

Raymond nodded, his heart heavy with regret.

"...You guys can't do this alone," Debra said suddenly.

"What?" Raymond replied, shocked. "Debra, you can't..."

"They need me... they need us," the redheaded woman said, her voice strong. "I'm going to make a difference. That's something you used to try for." Debra bent down to eye level with Michael and Jeffery, and put her arms around her three children. "I'm sorry... But I have to do this."

"Mommy," said Jeffery. "Are you coming back?"

"...Yes, angel," Debra answered, reassuringly. "I promise." The redhead looked at her daughter. "Ally, I know we've had our rough patches,... but I'm proud of who you turned out to be... and I am proud to call myself your mother." Debra hugged Ally, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you, Mom," replied Ally, her throat aching with sadness.

"...Debra, I..." Ray started to say.

"Just go, Ray," Debra interrupted, her voice grave, as if she was giving up on her husband.

"Debra, I'm going with you," said Marie, walking away from Raymond.

"No, Marie," replied Debra. "The kids need you. Just... make sure they're safe."

Marie stood still, her jaw dropped at what her daughter-in-law was doing. Accepting the fact that she owed this to Debra, the woman replied, "Alright. Good luck." Marie hugged Debra, which wasn't something she used to do often.

"That means everything coming from you," said Debra, feeling warm inside.

"I'm sorry," said Jerry, interrupting the Barones' parting. "But we have to go."

"Are you ready?" Alex asked Ray and Marie.

"...Yeah," Raymond answered, his disappointment showing in his voice. "I love you, Debra."

Debra looked back at her husband, her heart sinking.

"I'll cast a Fourth-level protection spell over your home, but take cover as soon as possible," Alex told Raymond.

The Italian man nodded. Alex waved her wand, and willed the two back home.

Suddenly, a ray of white and blue light shined around Marie, Ray, Michael, Ally, and Jeffery. Raymond looked through the light at his wife. "I'm sorry," he called, before he and his mom and children disappeared.

Alex closed her eyes, muttered a spell, then opened her eyes, which shined a purple light as she willed a force field to form around the Barone house. The spell was soon complete, and Alex returned to normal.

The remaining people stared in amazement at the girl, who, after a moment of recovering, turned towards them. "Who's the strongest of you guys?" she asked.

"I'm a police officer," Robert volunteered. "I think I'm the most qualified to guard the layer."

"I'm not at his level," added Robbie. "But I can hold my own too."

"Alright," said Jerry. "You two will be our first line of defense. You'll guard the outside of the house.

'Debra, you and Theresa guard the entrance to the layer. The kids will guard the inside. Don't touch anything in here unless there's an emergency. I'll introduce you to the non-lethal weapons. Be extremely careful."

"Hey," said Spencer. "I'm not a cop or in great shape, but I should be on the front line."

"Spencer, no," replied Carly, her concern showing.

"Carly, there's too much at stake here," Spencer replied, trying to sympathetic. "They need me."

"Not on front line, though," Carly argued. "I already lost Sam. Don't make me lose you too."

Spencer paused. Carly was his responsibility, and he was the closest thing to a father she had right now. "...Okay," he finally said. "I'll guard the entrance."

"Thanks, Spencer," replied Carly, holding back tears of relief.

Alex wanted nothing else but to turn back and forget everything. To let these families stay families; they had suffered enough. However, thousands had already died. Thousands more will die if Justin wasn't stopped. "Alright," Alex called, breaking her regretful trance. "I'll grant you an empowerment spell for protection. Now... Let's move! For Earth!"

The others raised their fists and yelled, "For Earth!" their patriotism exploding from their lungs.

"Let's move!" screamed Theresa, her voice powerful and commanding.

The soldiers screamed "Yeah!" and ran out to their positions.

_This is it,_ Spencer thought. _This is for everything._

_I'm not letting anyone else die because of me,_ Carly demanded of herself. _If I die, I die fighting._

_ I'm coming back, Amy,_ Robert promised himself. _This is for you, Dad._

_ We're gonna die_, Lilly thought. _But at least we're doing something worth while._

Teddy turned to Alex. "It'll be okay," she reassured her friend.

"Hope so," replied Alex, her voice almost grave.

"What'll happen when those creatures show up?" Teddy asked.

"All hell's gonna break loose," Alex answered, not losing her grave composure. "But... whatever happens here,... it's nothing compared to what Justin's gonna do." The teen turned away from Teddy, and stealthfully wiped a tear from her eye. "We have to go now."

"Alright," replied Teddy. "And don't worry... it's gonna be okay. Justin... the real Justin... would want you to do this."

"That doesn't make it any easier," said Alex.


	4. The War Begins

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 4

The sky was painted blood red as the feared night drew closer. Lightning lit up sections of the sky. A chilling breeze chilled the soldiers' bones, as if fear itself was blowing through them.

"Ready?" asked Robert, his throat blazing with fear and anxiousness.

"Ready as A'll ever be," answered Robbie, loading a shotgun.

The two watched the sky, their hearts pounding. Any second, the creatures that infest the most horrible nightmares were about to enter the city.

_This is it, _Robert thought to himself. _This defines your entire life. Everyone's counting on you. You can't fail._ The man gulped, and loaded his gun.

Suddenly, a violent flash of light tore through the sky like a knife through weak flesh. The soldiers watched the event, their hearts viciously pounding, knowing what was coming.

Gruesome roars and hollers sounded from the sky, and then, swarms of hideous creatures burst out of the abyss. Dozens had wings, some merely fell to the ground, killing the weaker beasts, others landed on buildings, swung on street lights, or did anything necessary to break their falls. The monsters harmonically let out a grizzly roar, celebrating their escape from their prison.

Robbie felt the blood freeze in his veins.

"Fire!" Robert screamed.

The two began to fire round after round of hot lead at the beasts. Several of the creatures were hit, splashing their blood into the air, and knocking them off the buildings. Others dodged or clawed at the bullets, deflecting them.

"I think we made 'em mad," declared Robbie.

The monsters charged and flew at the soldiers. Robert and Robbie quickly reloaded, and blasted into the army. Robert's fingers began to bleed. Robbie's shoulder ached as the gun recoiled again and again.

The beasts dropped like flies, but the numbers never seemed to diminish. A large werewolf-like creature lunged at Robbie, and slashed the weapon out of his hand, leaving a deep cut on his pointer finger and thumb. The man grunted in pain, and was knocked on his back by the creature.

The furry beast snarled, and raised his claw above Robbie's face, his eyes burning with hatred. Anticipating his death, Robbie closed his eyes.

However, before the monster could strike, a loud _bang _sound erupted from Robbie's left, and the beast's back exploded.

The cowboy turned to Robert, who was wielding a gun with a smoking barrel. "Thanks," Robbie said, still recovering from shock.

Robert nodded firmly, and tossed Robbie his shotgun.

Meanwhile, in a black realm coursing with green clouds of fog, Alex waved her hands over a crystal ball, her eyes glowing blue as she concentrated on her brother.

Teddy remained silent, staring at her friend. The entire situation was unfathomable for her. Alex had been her friend for years, but the two were separated for the longest time, now all of this was happening. _This is too much,_ Teddy thought to herself, her head throbbing.

The blond teenager began to scream, unable to process what she was involved in, what was happening. This could not be happening. Life wasn't like this.

"Teddy!" Alex called, breaking her trance, and losing the glow in her eyes. The girl ran over to her hysteric friend, and grabbed her shoulders.

"I can't take this, Alex!" Teddy yelled. "I can't take it!"

Alex slapped her friend hard on her cheek, her face showing her frustration. "Stop it!" she screamed. "Just stop it! Okay?..."

Teddy began to calm herself.

"It's all I can do to force this on myself," Alex continued. "...Please...for Justin."

"...Alright," replied Teddy, her breath still heavy from her near-breakdown. "I-I'm sorry. This is just... a lot to take in. A part of me can't even accept that this is real."

"...I know," Alex replied, her voice grave. "I feel the same way."

The Latino picked up her crystal ball, and continued meditating.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, California, the winds had been silenced for five hours. The city was ravaged, and the night was dragging.

The Tanner family's Victorian house had lost most of its siding, and the windows in Stephanie, and D.J.'s room had been shattered, but no one was injured.

"I'll check outside to see if it's safe," Danny volunteered.

"Danny, are you sure it's safe?" asked Joey, concerned.

"No," answered Danny. "But the girls are scared to death. They have to know that they're safe."

Joey thought a second, then nodded. "I'll be right behind you," he said.

"Thanks, buddy," replied Danny.

The two walked outside. Danny looked up, and saw calm skies clouded over.

Hearing the noises from their rooms, Donna and Stephanie, who were in very light, fear-laced dreams, awoke and walked downstairs. The generator had kicked on, but the lighting in the house was still dark, so the two took every step carefully.

"Dad, Joey!" D.J. called. "Whatter you doing?"

Suddenly, the wind picked up again, violently tearing through the city. Danny and Joey shielded their eyes from the small debris flying at them.

"Get inside!" Stephanie screamed. "Hurry!"

The two men struggled back towards the house. Before he could reach the porch, Danny heard a loud crack, and was then crushed by a large branch, which shattered his ribs.

"Dad!" D.J. and Stephanie screamed, their fear tearing through their throats like a knife.

"Danny!" Joey yelled, running back to his friend.

Jesse, Rebecca, Michelle, Nicky, and Alex came out of their rooms, and looked outside from the second floor walkway.

"No," Rebecca whispered, wanting to wake up from this nightmare.

Jesse held Rebecca and the kids, trying to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Look away, Jess," said Rebecca.

Michelle pulled away from her uncle, and ran towards her father, her eyes blurred over with tears.

"Michelle!" Jesse called, desperate to spare Michelle more emotional anguish.

The young girl ran up to Danny, Joey, D.J., and Stephanie. "Daddy!" she cried, her voice quivering.

"Girls," Danny said, his voice weak and hoarse as he suffered through every word. "...I love you...and I wouldn't have changed anything about any of you."

"Dad, no," Stephanie pleaded in a whisper, a painful lump forming in her throat.

"Daddy, please don't leave us," D.J. begged. The young woman saw her mother's death happening all over again. Donna's eyes began to fill with tears, and her throat began to throb.

"And Joey..." Danny continued, his eyes growing heavy as death grew closer. "Thank you for being a friend." The man's breath grew alittle heavier. "Tell Jesse and Rebecca... Thanks for the three of you helping raise my kids... For rebuilding our family."

Joey held back tears and nodded agreeingly. "Thank you for being a brother," he replied.

Danny smiled and nodded.

"We love you, Dad," said D.J., knowing her sisters were too upset to speak.

"...That means everything," replied Danny. "Tell Nicky and Alex I love them too."

"Sure thing, Dad," said Stephanie, her heart shattering.

"Your mother...would be so proud of all of you," Danny whispered. With that, Danny's eyes closed, he laid flat on ground, and the life left his body.

Stephanie began to openly cry, and buried her face in Joey's chest. Michelle closed her eyes, unable to take what she saw.

D.J. sniffled, and gently shut her father's eye lids, granting him one final honor.

"Please, no," Rebecca begged, her voice trembling.

The night, for the first time, truly fell on the Tanner household. Rain began to fall, and thunder crackled.


	5. Corruption Rears

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 5

"They're inside the apartment!" Theresa screamed to the kids.

A muscular ogre-like creature elbowed Spencer, pushing him into a wall, then charged at Debra, wielding a broken soda bottle. The redhead loaded her handgun, and lodged a bullet in the beast's shoulder. However, the ogre was only stunned for a moment, then continued charging.

"Oh no," Debra desperately whispered, beginning to tremble.

Theresa ran forward, and smacked the beast in the stomach with the butt of her shotgun repeatedly. Finally, the monster collapsed on the floor.

"Spencer, are you okay?" asked Theresa.

"Yeah," answered the young man, struggling to stand up again. "Just gimme a minute."

"Thanks for saving my tail," said Debra, still recovering from shock, and feeling a bruse in her pride.

"There's more where he came from," Theresa replied. "But I have your back."

The redhead nodded, and reloaded her gun.

Inside the layer, Carly held a long, thick wooden wand with a green emerald on its top. "They're getting closer," she said, her voice grave.

"We're gonna die," Miley cried to herself.

"Not if we don't allow that to happen," replied Freddie, trying to hide his own fear.

Miley ignored the teen, and gulped hard.

The teens stared at the door to the layer, knowing their enemies were just beyond it, their breath hot, and their blood boiling with rage and blood lust. Screams of pain and anguish, mixed with gun shots, cracking bones, and snarls tore through the walls, filling the kids' hearts with fear, and chilling Miley's bones.

Theresa smashed into the wall, her back throbbing. The ape-like monster snarled at his foe, gritting his razor-sharp teeth, but then collapsed on the floor.

Spencer and Debra stood behind the beast, Debra holding a wooden chair, and Spencer grabbing the barrel of his gun.

"We even?" Debra joked.

"Yeah," replied Theresa, feeling she had just found a friend.

Meanwhile, Justin's heart pounded, energy flowing off his body as he viciously proceeded to the center of the universe. "Only a few more hours," he told himself, his body in growing agony.

Alex continued meditating, her mind searching the universe tirelessly. "Ah!" the teen screamed, tightly shutting her eyes, and collapsing onto the floor.

"Alex, what's wrong?" asked Teddy, running over to her friend, her concern showing in her voice.

"I found him," answered Alex. "He's suffering." The teen turned away from her friend. "It should be me."

Back in New York, Robert clenched his throbbing shoulder, the blood still draining from the three slash marks. A lion-faced monster grabbed the Italian man's face, and began to squeaze. Robert pulled out the handgun in his pocket, loaded it, his hands shaking, and fired it into the beast's wrist.

The lion creature hollered in pain as hot blue plasma seeped from his veins. The beast fell to the ground, and slowly bled to death.

His breath still heavy from his near-death experience, Robert watched in horror at the repercussions from his actions. _I didn't have a choice,_ he told himself, turning away from the beast.

The fight dragged on for four hours, then the sky turned blue, embracing the dark, desperate moods the soldiers were feeling. Carly charged at a black-furred werewolf, and stabbed him in the heart with a silver wand. Freddie laid in a pile of shattered glass, blood stained on the side of his open mouth, his arm broken, his legs heavily bleeding, and his eyes closed. Spencer screamed as he fired a round of bullets at an alligator-wolf hybrid monster, splattering its blood into the air. The beast snarled in pain, then fell on its back.

"When is this gonna end?" Miley screamed, unable to take the pain and fear. The teen clenched around her swollen, black eye, which she could no longer see out of.

Theresa stabbed a wand into the back of a lizard-like creature, then collapsed on the ground, landing on her wounded shoulder.

"...We have to get these guys out of the layer," declared Carly, grabbing her throbbing shoulder. "...Miley, you have to help me."

"I can't," replied Miley, trying to stop her mind from breaking. "I..."

"What..." replied Carly.

The two teens stood still, gazing into a light in the sky, which illuminated only a section of the ceiling. Freddie glanced at the ceiling, but saw nothing.

Carly opened her eyes, and saw Spencer and her parents standing in her living room, smiling.

"Whatter all of you doing here?" she asked, overjoyed.

"We're here for you, Carly," Carly's father replied, his voice warm and comforting. "And we never have to leave again."

"We love you, Dew Drop," said mother replied. Dew Drop was the name Carly's mom used to call her when she was young, before her and her husband were stationed overseas.

"...I love you, too," replied Carly, tears falling from her eyes. The teen ran over to her family, her smile as wide as it had ever been, and put them all in a loving embrace. Carly, like an infant clinging to its mother, never wanted to let go of her loved ones, not again.


	6. Happy Dillusions

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 6

"Where am I?" Miley called out, looking around her surroundings. The area was unfamiliar to the teen, but they felt like home. "Hello?"

"Miley," called a gentle, comforting voice, that of a woman.

The teenager stood still, her lip quivering, unable to believe what she had just heard. "...M-mom?" replied Miley, shocked.

"Hi, sweetie," Miley's late mother, Susan greeted. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Momma," replied Miley, stumbling towards her beloved mother. The girl hugged her mother, her jaw dropped, and her breath heavy. Her mother's embrace was so warm. "Don't let go."

"I won't, darlin'," replied Susan, her voice infinitely reassuring. "I won't."

Back in the Wizard's layer, Miley and Carly laid on the cold floor, their jaws dropped, eyes closed, and wide smiles frozen on their faces.

"Miley, what's wrong with you?" asked Lilly, shaking her friend. "Come on. There's more of those things coming. Miley?...Miley!"

The teenage girl didn't respond, and stayed in her stilled state. Miley turned her head to the side, and gave a happy sigh.

Meanwhile, in Queens, Raymond held Ally and Michael in his arms, and Marie held Jeffery. Ally was a teenager, but she couldn't help but feel like a defenseless child. But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing right now.

The room shook, and small bits of ceiling tile and dust fell onto the floor. Raymond squeezed Jeffery and Ally tighter. Marie did the same for Jeffery, knowing how timid he was right now.

The basement fell silent. No one spoke, breaths were hushed.

"...What Debra said to you...before she left," started Marie, her voice shaken. "...About making a difference..."

Ray turned his head towards his mother.

"She was right," the Italian woman continued. "You used to care about those around you... and changing the world was something you thought was possible...If I knew your father, I know he'd never approve of how you're acting."

"I don't want to hear this, Ma," Ray replied, a lump forming in his throat.

"Daddy, why did Mommy stay with those people?" asked Jeffery.

The boy's question hurt Raymond. "...She..." he stuttered.

Marie looked at her son, wondering if he was about to lie to his own children. It certainly wouldn't be the first time, she knew.

Raymond pondered the question. "...I'm sorry," he finally answered.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tawny looked outside. "I think it's safe," she said.

"You sure?" replied Sonny, wanting her friend to say "yes", even though she had on way of knowing.

"Yeah," answered Tawny. "I'm gonna go find Grady."

"Be careful," replied Sonny.

The blond pushed the doors to the cellar open, and walked outside. The sky was bright orange from the dust that had blown in the storm. Tawny looked around at all the destruction and the dead bodies scattered on the street. The teenager felt her legs weaken, and her mind wanting to sink with despair.

Sonny gazed outside, her jaw dropped. The terror from the images she saw was blinding.

Tawny heard a bellowing sound, and felt a gigantic gust of wind hit her back. The next thing she saw was the street and the buildings below growing smaller. The teenager screamed, at the top of her lungs as she flew into the sky.

"Tawny!" Sonny screamed. "Not Tawny!...Not now." The girl forced the doors shut, locked them, then collapsed on her knees, buried her face in her folded arms, and cried.

In San Francisco, D.J., Stephanie, Michelle, Rebecca, Jesse, Joey, Nicky, and Alex sat in the basement, tears burning their eyes, and their faces red.

"I can't believe..." D.J. began to say.

"What?" replied Stephanie, pulling her head out of her hands. The teen looked up the stairs, and held still.

"Stephanie, D.J., what's wrong?" asked Jesse.

The girls walked up the stairs, their expressions blank.

"Girls!" screamed Becky.

"Come back," Nicky and Alex called.

Jesse ran after the two, but couldn't get upstairs before the girls pushed the door shut. The Greek man turned the knob, and slammed into the door. "It's locked," he yelled, his voice laced with anger.

The room fell silent. The remaining members of the household braced themselves for more losses, and their hearts sank.

The two blonds walked into the backyard, and stared at the glowing vortex that awaited them. The winds had calmed, and the sky was clear and black.

"What is it?" D.J. asked, bewildered.

"...I don't know," answered Stephanie. "But I feel like II have to go to it."

The two gazed inside the oddity, not blinking, not moving a muscle. Inside the glowing red vortex, images began to appear: a blond-haired woman wearing a white shirt and blue jeans stood in the Tanners' kitchen, her face so familiar, and so loving.

"Mom," Donna exclaimed, a lump burning in her throat.

"Mommy?" Stephanie asked the image of Pamela Tanner, her long-lost mother, who was taken by a drunken driver years ago.

The woman smiled at the two: her smile was so inviting and so warm. The kind of smile that can only be from a mother to her children.

Tears began pouring out of Stephanie's eyes, and she longed so greatly to enter the abyss. It had to be right. Danny would want his daughters to be with their mother again.

D.J. began to walk forward, and her sister followed. The two began to forget about their pain, their sorrow, and their aunt, uncle, and cousins.

"Wait a minute," Stephanie suddenly said, coming to a crushing reality. "Uncle Jesse and the rest of our family aren't in there."

"What about it?" replied D.J., her voice clean of emotion. "It's Mom."

"But Deej, we have a family that loves us," Stephanie argued. "We can't just leave them...Maybe they can come, too."

"What if the portal closes before they get here?" the young woman replied. "We could lose Mom forever."

"Lose her," the teenage girl pondered to herself.

The two stood still, trying desperately to decide what to do, their hearts shattering no wonder what option they considered. Rain began to fall, and the two girls were soon drenched.

"We can't just leave Mom," Donna said after a minute.

"But...she's...dead," replied Stephanie. "She's moved on."

"But we can't... We can't forget her," Donna pleaded. "...We never did forget her, did we?"

The girls looked at each other, then at their mother.

"I love you, Mom," said D.J.

"We'll never forget you," added Stephanie.

The sisters turned away, and walked back inside to their family, who truly needed them now. D.J. wiped a tear from her eye, then saw her sister charging at the abyss. The young woman turned around, and grabbed her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Let me go, you bitch!" Stephanie snarled, her eyes beginning to blur over with tears.

Donna tightened her eyes at her sister.

"...Deej, I...I'm sorry," Stephanie repented. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry." The teen buried her face in her sister's shoulder, and felt her hands wrap around her back.

"It's okay, Steph," D.J. comforted. "It's okay."

Stephanie gritted her teeth, and repeatedly inhaled, her breath shaking with sorrow.


	7. Point of Desperation

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 7

Robert yelled as loud as he could, his throat raw and throbbing as he unleashed a blitz of red-hot bullets into the swarm of beasts charging at him. Five of the monsters dropped dead instantly, tripping those running behind them. Several were trampled, others tripped those running over them.

In the middle of the crimson sky, the sun burned the soldiers' necks and backs. Robbie lay on the road, trying to catch his breath, and his chest throbbing with every inhale. Blood was smeared on his torn shirt, and his joints were sore.

"Watch out!" Lilly screamed as a bear-like monster tore through the doorway, baring its blood-stained, crooked claws.

The blond girl grabbed a jagged, green crystal in the shape of a dagger, and stabbed it into the beast's chest. Lilly began to sob at the animal she had become: Nothing was worth killing living things. No lie could change how she felt. Besides, the situation was hopeless; the beasts would just keep coming. Things would all be over soon, unfortunately.

Miley and Carly remained still, staring at the ceiling. A reptilian creature ran at the two, licking its dry, cracking lips.

Freddie forced his eye open, and saw the blury image of Carly, and the reptile attacker growing closer. The teen lifted his aching, tired body up, his arms dangling, and struggled to reach his wand.

The monster's pupils tightened around his prey, and its gait increased.

Freddie grasped the object, focused his weak eye on the beast, focused on what he wanted, and shot a bolt of magic at the reptile's heart. The monster dropped to the floor. The teen smiled at his success at saving his love, then passed out on the ground.

Spencer looked back into the layer, and saw his sister. "Carly!" he called.

A leopard monster standing on its hind legs punched the young man in the right cheek, knocking him onto the floor with a thud.

"Carly!" Spencer screamed, his pain and desperation exploding. The man got up, back-handed the leopard in the face, causing the beast to collapse, then broke a wooden chair over it, knocking it out. Spencer ran over to his sister, who was smiling like a lifeless doll. "Carly, snap out of it. Please. We need you. What's wrong with you? Carly! Please...Come back."

The teen saw herself sitting in her living room, her parents smiling at her.

"I never thought I was gonna see you again," Carly said. "I'm really glad we're together again."

"Us too, princess," replied Jack, Carly's father. "We'll never leave your side again."

Carly smiled, but then realized something. "But doesn't the Navy need you?" she asked.

"Not any more, dear," Miranda answered, looking at her daughter with a smile. "We've earned a rest."

Carly froze. "You told me..." she began. "That our work is never done...That our rest will come when our lives are over..." The teen felt her world shatter. "This isn't real."

Suddenly, the smiles on Spencer, Jack, and Miranda's faces faded, and the room shattered, revealing a black, empty room coated with dust. The windows were shattered, and the sky outside was black. A cold, bitter wind blew inside.

_I'm alone_, the teen thought to herself. _I lost Sam. My parents are never coming back. _Carly fell on her knees, feeling depression fill her body. The teen began to long for her dillusion to return.

Crystals began to frost over the room, bringing a chillingly comforting presence. Carly's heart lightened, her memories began to fade, and a smile formed on her face.

"Carly!" the girl could hear her brother holler.

"S-Spencer," Carly exclaimed, her emotions still recovering.

The crystals shattered, and the teen returned to reality as a flash of white light exploded in her face. Carly gasped.

Spencer embraced his sister, holding her so tight.

"It's okay," Carly comforted. "I won't leave you." Reality burned, but it was where she was needed.

Justin shattered a small, transparent planet as he charged for his destination. Reality was a cancer to him, and Juliet needed him to make it all disappear. Tears streamed down his cheeks. _I have to go on,_ he told himself. The universe grew darker as the teenager continued on his journey.

"Justin," called a familiar voice.

"...What are you doing here?" asked Justin, his voice cold.

"I'm here to stop you," Alex answered. "Please...come home. It's not too late."

"...Yes it is," Justin replied, his voice growing in sorrow. "Now get out of here."

"...I'm not going anywhere," replied Alex.

"Then I'm sorry," said Justin, who then turned around, and rained magical fire on his sister.

Alex screamed in pain, but kept her purpose in mind, and fought the agony. Her hair singed, her face cut and bleeding, the teen forced herself to hover forward.

"Don't make me do this to you," Justin begged his sister.

"...I don't have a choice," Alex replied, moving forward.

Justin held back tears, and concentrated his magic.

Back on Earth, the monster army had died down, and the injured soldiers were having their wounds treated. However, they knew the cease fire was only temporary. Despair was awaiting.

"What was that back there?" Lilly asked Carly. "And why isn't Miley over it?"

"I'm not sure," Carly answered. "It felt like something was trying to suck me in...and I was forgetting about my **real **life."

"All reality is changing," answered Jerry, clenching his shoulder. "I guess the people are starting to change with it."

"So Miley..." started Lilly.

"We might lose her," replied Spencer, sadly.

Miley continued to stare blankly into space, her mouth gaped open with a smile painted on it.

Back in outer space, Alex and Justin continued their fight. Justin grabbed his sister's long hair, and yanked it towards him, pulling Alex with it. The teen then delivered a blow to the girl's face.

Alex spit out blood, which floated upward. The girl recited a spell, causing her eyes to light up red, and shot a rope of chains out of her sleeve, binding Justin.

The boy broke the binding rope, screamed, and emitted a blast of blue energy from his fingers, slashing Alex's shoulder, and splattering a stream of blood upward.

Alex pulled a crystal out of her pocket, and stabbed it into Justin's knee.

"Ah!" Justin screamed. "You little bastard!" The boy lunged forward, and clenched his sister's throat, squeezing extremely tight.

"Wizard lesson 1," Alex struggled to say. "...Expect the unexpected."

The crystal began to glow in Justin's knee. "What the..." the teen screamed.

"Teleportation gem," answered Alex. "You're going back to the layer."

"I don't think so," Justin mocked. The crystal shattered. "I was the best wizard...I **am** the best wizard..." The teen's eyes glowed black. "And I'll always be the best wizard!"

With a scream, Justin launched a stream of red energy at Alex, sending her spiraling towards Earth, her body covered with deeps cuts, her lips severely lacerated, and her heart shattered.

Justin tightened his eyes, and flew towards the universal center.

Tears levitated out of Alex's red, burning eyes as she approached Earth.


	8. Shattered

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 8

It was the equivalent of four a.m. when the soldiers found Alex bleeding and unconscious in the middle of a freezing forest. The girl's nails were shattered, her left eye was black, the other one bleeding, lips torn, her arms covered with deep, wide slices and bleeding, and her hair grizzily scattered on the cold ground.

Carly saw Sam's corpse in Alex, and the memories burned in her mind. The teen bit her lip, and held in her emotions.

"Hurry," Jerry called. "This place could turn into Antarctica any second."

Jerry, Spencer, and Robbie lifted up the girl, and rushed her to the layer. Once there, Alex was laid on a wooden table. Jerry checked her neck for a pulse.

"She's dying," Jerry declared, gravely. "Hurry, Theresa, hand me the blue gems."

Jerry's wife nodded, ran over to the other side of the room, opened a metal chest, and pulled out five blue, pointed gems. The Latino woman handed them to Jerry, who slowly waved them over the teenager's body.

Noticing several deep cuts on Alex's arms, the man touched one of the gems to the wound. The red scars faded slowly faded. Alex turned her head to the side, and moaned.

"She's coming to," Jerry said, his voice growing happier.

Lilly continued to stare at her frozen friend. The two had been friends since preschool, and to see her bend to the will of fickle fate for pleasure killed Lilly inside. The teen dabbed a wash cloth dipped in warm water on Miley's forehead as she lay on a bed, her body wrapped in a pink blanket, and the emotionless smile painted on her face.

"Don't let it end like this," Lilly whispered. Miley was never without her problems, but she never let them control her. The two girls had a lot of problems threatening to rip them apart: boyfriend issues, Lilly's cutting herself for a time, Miley's refusing to share her pain, revealing the Hannah secret after lying about it for 3 years, and several superficial problems. However, the two fought through those problems, and managed to stay friends. Why was this so different?

Back in Queens, the winds were stronger than ever, and hollering like agonized spirits in a horror film. The roof of the basement began to collapse.

"Get out!" Raymond screamed, pushing his mother, daughter, and Michael up the stairs. "Jeffery!" The man looked around for his other son, his heart pounding.

Finally, Raymond found his son. The boy was under a large pile of debris.

"No!" Raymond screamed, wanting to tear out his own heart. The man ran over to his son, and ripped the garbage off of his son. Once he reached Jeffery, he was cold and still. "No..." Ray whispered.

Time stood still. Marie covered Ally's eyes, but she pulled away, and ran to her brother. Michael followed her, not understanding what was happening.

"Jeffery," Raymond yelled. "Jeffery, please don't!" The man shook his son. "...This is all my fault." Raymond felt his heart freeze over with guilt. All his life, Ray had been selfish and lazy, but he did anything like this: Let his depression keep him idle, then let his son die. The Italian nuzzled his son to his chest, and wrapped his hands around him. Tears poured from his closed eyes.

"How could you let this happen?" Ally screamed. "...I hate you!" The blond girl ran upstairs, covering her eyes. Marie tried to grab her, but wasn't fast enough.

"Ally!" Raymond called. The man stood up, wiped away his tears, set Jeffery on the ground, and layed a blanket over his stilled body. "...Mom, Michael, let's get out of here." Ray's voice grew strong. "...She needs us."

Death affects everyone differently. Some let it dominate their lives, others pretend that it never happened, others vow to never give into it again.

Raymond and his family were suddenly surrounded in light. Ray, Marie, and Michael then found themselves in the remains of the Wizard layer.

"Where's Ally?" Raymond asked.

"Ray," replied Debra. "What are you doing here?"

"...Jeffery," answered Ray, his voice grave. "He's dead... I'm sorry. Ally's gone...I tried to stop her, but I got transported here...Debra, I'm sorry. I let my feelings destroy our family."

"...Ray," Debra said, her voice growing with anger as her eyes filled up with tears. "You've done some terrible things...but this..." The redhead sniffled, lifted up her left hand, and pulled the ring of her finger. Debra dropped the golden band on the ground, and turned away from her husband.

"Debra..." Raymond tried to plead. "I can make this right."

"No, Ray," Debra replied. "No you can't...Not this time. Just...get out of here."

"...No," Raymond replied. "I'm not leaving you again."

"...I'm sorry," Debra said to Jerry. "I just can't do this anymore." The redhead covered her eyes, and ran away.

"Raymond," Marie said. "...You tried. But this is your fault."

"I know, Ma," replied Raymond, sadly.

Alex then opened her eyes, and slowly sat up. "Raymond," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Thank you for coming back...I know your family needs you...but we have to end this..."

"...Okay," replied Raymond, finally ready to man up.

"This is a special news alert," declared a female reporter on the television. "Abnormal animals have begun attacking major cities around the world. The United States army has launched a counter-attack, but it isn't enough." A tank smashed into the ground several feet away from the woman, who let out a scream. "I am Jennette Osment...And this is my final broadcast." The woman turned around, screamed violently, and was then crushed by a car.

"We have to stop Justin now," declared Alex.

"There's no way you can teleport all of us there," replied Jerry.

"And what could we possibly do?" asked Carly.

"I'll let you know on the way," answered Alex. "Is there anyone who can't do this?"

"...I have to stay here with Miley," said Lilly, sorrowfully.

"And my mother has to stay with Michael," added Raymond.

"I understand," replied Alex. "And I'm sorry about all of this." The teen closed her eyes, and concentrated. Alex's eyes and mouth shot out purple energy, her hair began to blow in an unfeelable wind, and energy began to spark out of her body. "Hold on!"

Teddy, Jerry, Theresa, Raymond, Carly, Spencer, and Robbie joined hands. Robert and Freddie were unable to join the team due to their severe injuries, but their desire to help, along with Marie, Debra, Lilly, and Michael's gave Alex strength.

A violent flash of white light flooded the room, and once it was gone, the soldiers had disappeared.

Meanwhile, in Long Island, the black sky lay over Freddie Benson as he ran for his life from the beasts chasing him, thirsting for his blood. The teen ran into an abandoned brick bell tower outside of an old library, and ran up the marble stairs.

Finally, Fred reached the top floor, and looked down at the monsters through a large window. "I am so scared," he whispered to himself, his voice trembling.

"Hey!" someone cried.

The teen turned around, and saw Chad Dylan Cooper standing behind him, a dark scowl scarred on his face as he kicked Freddie, smashing him through the window. The teen plummeted towards the ground, shards of glass jabbing into his arms, legs, and stomach. Fred felt his back hit the ground hard, and then witnessed everything go black. The boy turned his head to the left, and lay still.

"One less person to worry about," Chad angrily exclaimed, looking down at his victim.

Miley, Robbie, Susan, and Lilly sat on a wooden bench outside of a red barn in Tennessee. The sun was setting, painting the sky a beautiful shad of red. For once in a long time, the setting sun brought with it a sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow. A white horse walked past the four, his feet gently trotting in the dirt.

"Hey, Blue Jeans," Miley called. "Isn't the sunset beautiful, Momma?"

"Sure is, baby girl," replied Susan. "Just like they used to be." The woman put her arm around her daughter, and pulled her close.

"I love you guys," said Miley.

Blackness bled over the sky, drowning out the comforting hues and colors. Rain began to fall on the family.

"Hurry," Lilly called. "Let's get inside."

Blue Jeans let out an agonized whinny, and slowed his pace. The horse layed down on its side.

"Blue Jeans!" Miley screamed, her heart starting to hurt.

"I...I don't feel so good," said Lilly, grabbing at her throbbing heart. "I...I think there's something wrong with... Oh." The blond collapsed on the cold, mud ground.

"Lilly, no!" Miley begged, the pain in her heart growing worse. "I can't...stand it anymore." The teen clenched her heart, and felt tears stream down her face. "Mom, Dad..."

The two were no where in sight. The sky grew darker, and the wind picked up.

Miley felt herself growing colder and colder, her fingers growing numb as she shivered.

"Miley!" Lilly's voice rang throughout the illusion. "Miley, come back! Please! Don't let me lose you!"

"Lilly," Miley answered, still shivering intensely. "What's happening?"

"Wake up," Lilly begged, not hearing Miley's question. The blond shook her friend violently. "Please! I can't take this world without you!"

"Lilly," pleaded Freddie, putting his aching, heavy hand on the girl's shoulder. "...I don't think she's coming back."

"She has to," Lilly replied, growing more upset by the second. What did that boy know anyway?

"Lilly, please," Freddie begged. "You have to let go."

Lilly shut Freddie out, and continued shaking Miley. "Don't leave me," she begged. "I can't even see...Please! Please come back!"

Miley shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, her real eyes. Everything was falling apart. Everything she gained and lived for in the dream was shattering. Lightning struck in her head, and screams sounded from every sector of Miley's consciousness. Sweat began to form on the girl's forehead, and her breath began to break its constant speed. Finally, her eyes shot open, and she sat up, as if waking up from a nightmare. "...I've lost her," Miley mourned to herself.

Lilly put her arms around her friend. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But things can be better...soon."

Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly, and cried on her shoulder.


	9. Confrontation Omega

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 9

The black nothingness of space ended, as did the endless array of stars. Gasses of dramatic red, blue, and purple hues covered the surrounding area. Then, out of no where was a cave made of pure, opaque red crystal, seemingly continuing on forever. Justin saw past the optical illusion, and into the very heart of the cave: The center of the universe. An immense ball of pure energy rested in a blue emerald chamber.

The teen's eyes teared over at the sight. Once he reached that orb, everything would change. No more suffering, no more painful memories. Finally, he and Juliet could disappear, and live together forever in paradise. Slowly, the boy moved forward, never seeming to get closer, but he knew he was making progress, and that was all that mattered.

In Los Angeles, monsters stormed the streets, killing everyone in their way. Looters ran through abandoned homes and stores, stealing everything they could get their hands on.

"What are you doing?" Grady yelled to a bald young man. "You should be running for your life!"

"D-don't try n' stop me, kid," the man replied. "I got a family back home!" The man pulled the trigger on his handgun.

Grady fell on the ground, his stomach bleeding.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. A crack tore through the road, and the surrounding ground began to fold inward, swallowing buildings, cars, humans, and monsters.

Miko screamed, and dug his finger nails in the asphalt. However, his grip soon broke, and the teen fell into the abyss, screaming at the top of his lungs and flailing his arms and legs.

A stream of blue light surged through the solar system. Alex led the path of her allies. The stars, planets, and fields of gasses flew by at hundreds of miles an hour.

"We're almost there," Alex yelled. "Hold on!"

"How is this possible?" asked Teddy, deeply confused.

"She's giving us a barrier of oxygen," answered Jerry. "Alex, I didn't think you were strong enough to do this. I'm proud of you."

"I'm not doing this alone," replied Alex. "I'm drawing energy from all of you, and you me. Be prepared...this is gonna be worse than anything you've ever seen." Alex braced herself for what she had to do.

Teddy felt fear well up in her body, threatening to consume her. Justin had been like an older brother to her when she lived in New York. To actually kill him, to become a murderer...But it was for the best, she knew.

In Colorado, Teddy's parents, Bob and Amy, her brothers P.J. and Gabe ran out of the house as it began to crumble.

"Get Charlotte!" Amy screamed, her calm, sweet voice becoming furious and laced with fear.

Bob ran into the parlor, picked up his two-year-old daughter, and dashed for the door.

The blond woman pushed her sons out the door, and looked back to see her husband and her daughter. "Come on," Amy urged Bob, pushing him out the door.

"Hurry!" Bob screamed to his wife.

The blond ran out, but tripped over a hole in the ground, and landed hard on her stomach.

"Amy!" Bob screamed.

"Just go," Amy called back, her voice weak. "The kids need you." The ground then tore open, and swallowed the woman.

Bob's jaw dropped, and his heart sank. The man glanced down at his baby daughter, who was beginning to cry, nuzzled her to his chest, said a silent prayer for his wife, and caught up with his boys.

The black clouds blew over the house, the orange-brown sky gloomily looking over the area. Come 7 o' clock, the citizens be completely evacuated, and the city a smoldering wasteland.

Bob, Gabe, P.J., and Charlie rushed onto the bus, and sat in the seat in the very back, breathing in sweet breaths of relief.

"W-where's Mom?" asked Gabe, feeling survivor's guilt.

"...I'm sorry," replied Bob. "She fell into a crater. I tried to help her, but she said you three came first. It's what she wanted."

P.J. dropped his head in shame. He had always been the family black sheep, and now, thanks to him, his mother was dead.

A warp appeared in the bus, and consumed Gabe in one second, then vanished. Vortexes began to appear all over town, and even in the sky.

"No!" Bob and P.J. screamed. Charlie began to whale, her face turning red.

"Drive!" screamed a soldier.

The bus driver pushed on the gas pedal, and drove out of the death zone that was once his home. In the rear-view mirror, the man saw darkness fall over the city, closed his eyes in sorrow for just one second, then readjusted the mirror, and continued driving.

Back in Waverly Place, Dragon rested near the fire place, warm and at peace, gifted with the inability to not understand what was happening in the world around him. Lilly neelt down on the carpet, and gently pet the dog.

"I'm really worried," confessed Freddie, breaking the silence. "What if they can't do it?...I should be out there helping them."

"Stop beating yourself up," replied Robert. "There's nothing we can do. I don't know what it is...but I know Alex can make this right."

"Right now, we have to protect the layer," added Lilly. "...Don't worry. I trust you."

Freddie gave a quiet laugh, then felt his face become hot, and turned away.

In the cold depths of space, the group came upon the crystal formation.

"This is it," declared Alex, blue light flowing out of her eyes as she felt the immense presence of the universal center. The girl's heart began to pound, tears formed in her eyes, and a lump formed in her throat. She was struggling to breath. This was the end, she knew. No matter what happened, life as Alex knew it was over.

As the soldiers entered the cave, the artificial temperature Alex provided for them grew cold, chilling them to the very bone.

_I can't believe this,_ Carly thought. _It's so beautiful._ _It's impossible to imagine that this place could destroy everything._

After what felt like an eternity, the soldiers reached the universal center.

"You're too late," called Justin, not turning away from the orb. "Everything's going to be different soon... You won't even miss your old lives."

"Justin, this isn't right," Jerry called. "You have to stop this!"

"No Dad," replied Justin. "Not this time."

"Justin, please!" Theresa screamed, tears flowing from her eyes, and her heart throbbing for her son. "Stop it! We can work this out!"

"No we can't!" Justin screamed back, his voice growing furious. "Juliet was my life, and now she's gone! This is the only way."

"You have us," Alex called. "You have a family...and friends. Please don't do this...We love you, but this is wrong."

"I don't know anything anymore," Justin shot back. The teen's eyes began to glow white as he moved his hands over the orb, feeling his very being uniting with the center.

"No!" Robbie screamed, realizing what was at stake.

In San Francisco, the winds exploded from the skies, and pulled Rebecca into the air. Jesse grabbed her hand, and grabbed onto a pillar on the porch.

"Jesse!" Becky hollered, never wanting to be away from her love.

"Becky!" Jesse screamed back.

"I love you!" Rebecca screamed, feeling her hand slipping.

"Don't let go!" Jesse begged. "I can't lose you."

"I'm sorry," Rebecca whispered. The woman's hand slipped out of her husband's, and she was blown into the infinite nothingness in the sky.

"No!" Jesse screamed, feeling his life shatter before him. The Greek nuzzled the pillar, dropped his head, and let his devastated tears fall.

Violent streaks of white, blazing energy coursed through the cave as all reality began to change. Justin felt his body throb as he focused the energy.

From a forest, under the blue night's sky, a teenage girl watched explosions erupt far in space. "Justin," whispered the girl, Juliet.

Justin screamed as he began to feel reality change.

"Justin, listen," Raymond called. "We've all been through deaths. They hurt, I know. I saw my father and my son die right in front of me. I wanted to give up, but there are people who need us."

"You have to let go," called Robbie. "Death isn't something you can get over. You have to accept it. The pain'll go away someday. Believe me, I know."

Carly felt guilty for her own inability to let go of Sam's death.

"You're going to kill thousands of people," Teddy called. "What happened to the Justin I used to look up to?"

"...He died," answered Justin. "He died when Juliet was killed...And he's never coming back."

Suddenly, a blast of energy shot from the orb, and flowed through Robbie. Strange images flashed through his mind. Screams exploded from every corner of his mind, the sun was blocked by shadows, and "The Blackest Night" was carved into a black wall and glowing with haunting green light. Then, the images ended.

"Are you okay?" Alex yelled.

"I'm fine," Robbie called back. "Just a little shaken up."

"It ends now," declared Justin.


	10. Something Worth Dying For

Emerald Twilight

Chapter 10

Earth's skies grew dark, and a malevolent wind began to course through the cities. Lightning began to strike on the roads, set buildings ablaze, and lit up the skies with a furious power. Many of the monsters were slaughtered by the storms or violent currents of the oceans, but their raid on humanity continued on. Thunder hollered across the skies like the roars of an enraged lion.

Lifting his blood-drenched body out of the charred rubble, Jesse looked to the dark clouds above him, closed his eyes, and screamed, "Miley!" until his voice failed him. The blood burned his entire face. Finally, the teenager lost his will to survive, and fell to the ground, and his death. Black smoke rose to the sky, surrounding Jesse's body.

In the Center of the Universe, the soldiers stared at Justin, not knowing what to do. Reality was changing all around them, and they were forced to watch it all like powerless children.

"Justin!" Alex screamed. The girl's brother didn't reply, and her anger grew. Finally, Alex summoned her magic, and flew at her brother, fury burning in her eyes: fury for all the lectures Justin gave her on using her magic for good, for all the nights she spent wishing she could be like human, for what he had done to himself and the world.

Justin turned away from the orb just in time to find Alex's fist thrust into his chin. The teen shot back, but quickly sprang back with a razor thin bolt of red energy, which sliced a straight line through Alex's stomach.

"No!" Jerry and Theresa screamed.

The others stared in shock, Carly shedding a tear of regret. Guilt began to ravage the soldiers' minds: feeling that they could have done something, but didn't out of cowardice. Guilt, for some, that more blood had been shed because of them.

Alex's mouth remained gaped open, blood splattering out from her throat, and her heart sinking. "Justin," she whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

Justin's rage-lined memories flashed back a few moments: He saw Alex striking at him, her nails illuminated with green energy as she slashed his face. Justin's eyes shedding red magic, his teeth angrily clenched as his fists repeatedly drove into his own little sister's stomach, listening to her cries and groans of pain, seeing the tears fall from her eyes. No one else was able to see these horrific images due to a spell Alex cast for her brother, out of mercy.

Justin felt his rage grow, then shatter before his eyes as he watched his sister suffer. All the years they were so close, everything they went through was about to be for not. Would Juliet really want this? Would she return if she could?

Alex fell towards the ground, knowing the impact would kill her. Suddenly, she felt two hands grab her back, breaking her fall.

"You're not gonna die like this," Justin exclaimed. "Not while I'm still here."

"Why?" Alex whispered.

"...I couldn't do it," Justin answered. "Believe it or not, Alex...You mean the world to me. It wasn't Juliet I needed...it was you and my family."

"What snapped you out of it?" Alex asked, feeling her strength returning.

"An apology," Justin answered. "It made me remember what my life used to be."

Alex smiled, looking up at Justin, just as she did when she was an infant. For a second, peace and harmony returned to the Russo family, and it seemed just like a fairytale ending: Justin was back to his loving, caring self, Alex would recover from her injury with the help of the crystals, and Justin would restore reality with the help of his new powers.

Justin let out a scream of agony, grabbing his throbbing head.

"Justin, what's wrong?" asked Alex, growing terrified.

"I can't...control these powers," Justin cried, his rage no longer fueling his magic. White energy began to stream out of the teen's body, shattering everything in its path. White light shot out of his eyes and mouth.

The soldiers felt a violent wave of energy blast through them. The entire cave quaked, and crystals began to fall to the ground, their impacts like bolts of thunder in a hurricane.

"Justin!" Alex cried, trying desperately to be heard over the cave's collapsing. "Justin, you can control this!"

"No I can't!" Justin screamed, his body feeling like it was about to crack open with built up energy. "Ahh! Help me!" The boy's screams were laced with pain.

"W-what can I do?" Alex called, feeling like a powerless little girl again. "I'm not as good a wizard as you are!"

"It doesn't matter," Justin screamed. "I can't handle this...You have to kill me!"

The soldiers felt their hearts sink. A painful lump formed in Jerry and Theresa's throats, and their eyes began to blur over with tears. "No," Theresa whispered.

"Justin, please," Alex begged. "No."

"It's the way it has to be," Justin called. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother to you."

"You're wrong," Alex called. "You were the best brother I could imagine...And I'd gladly take your place." Alex's eyes burned with tears.

The universe fell silent. Alex held her wand tight in her hands, focused all her energy, pain, and desire to help her brother. The emerald on the end of her wand exploded with red magic, and her eyes burned with the same colored energy. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Justin gave her one last look of approval, a tear falling from his eye. Alex waved her wand, and unleashed a stream of red energy, engulfing her brother. A vicious flash of red energy swallowed the entire cave.

"Justin!" Jerry, Theresa, Alex, and the soldiers screamed.

The weather returned to a peaceful state: the oceans' waves died down, the savage winds went silent, the clouds broke apart, the rain became a mist, and the earth quakes ended as fast as they started. The monsters' roars were silenced, realizing that their hellish reign over the land would soon end.

Lilly, Miley, Michael, Jeffery, and Robert looked up at the sky. In a dark airport, Ally noticed the same event as the soldiers. Debra too stared at that above her. In Malibu, Jackson and Oliver did the same. A bright, red star had just appeared among the heavens.

"I think it's over," Robert declared, his voice deeply relieved.

Alex held her brother's corpse in her hands, crying into his neck. The other soldiers gathered around the girl.

"You did what you had to do," Carly comforted her.

"It's what he wanted," Jerry assured her.

Theresa wrapped her arms around Alex, no longer able to hold back her tears. "It'll be okay," she promised. Alex cried on her mother's shoulder.

No matter what was going on the world, Alex couldn't deal with it right now: family was all that mattered. Justin didn't let his pain consume him, and, in this sense, he would always be the greatest of the Russo wizards.


	11. Epilogue and Aftermath

Emerald Twilight

Epilogue and Aftermath

The snow fell hard on the land as Alex, Jerry, Teddy, Theresa, Raymond, and Carly carried Justin's coffin. Viciously nipping at the soldiers' faces was the freezing winds that howled throught the area. Alex kept her head down, trying to hold back tears. Above the group, the sky was painted dark blue with streaks of darkness, appropriate for the occasion.

"Justin never wanted to be this," Jerry said, his heart burning with sorrow. "Every thing he did, he did to better himself and his friends' lives...Please remember who he was...before the love of his life died...and who died control the powers he had."

Theresa stroked her hand over the black box that contained her beloved son. "I've lost both of them," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. Alex put her arm around her mother, and cried into her shoulder.

"These are Teleportation Crystals," explained Alex, handing her allies multi-colored crystals. "Thank you for what you did for me and for the world...Can I contact you if I need you again?"

Every soldier remaining shared the same answer: "Yes." Raymond Barone, Robert Barone, Marie Barone, Michael Barone, Miley Stewart, Robbie Ray Stewart, Lilly Truscott, Carly Shay, Spencer Shay, Freddie Benson, Teddy Duncan, Jerry Russo, and Theresa Russo stood together, standing strong forever more.

"I'm a full wizard now..." Alex realized, forming a purple orb of transparent energy above her hands. "...Thanks to you, Justin...Thanks to what you, Mom, Dad, and Max taught me..."

The Russo parents hugged their daughter, closing their eyes, and sharing their love and strength. The snow continued to fall.

Raymond sat by Michael and Marie, watching his son, Jeffery lay in a coffin. Sitting at a chair on the far left side of the chairs, avoiding any eye contact with her husband.

"Thank you, Jeffery," Raymond said, standing over his son's body. "For reminding me what I used to fight for." The Italian looked up at the sky, and, for an instant, saw his father and son among the stars, smiling down from Heaven. _No matter where we come from..._

_ Such as Earth-9, where the Barone family lost their son, Jeffery..._

Sonny stared at her friends' headstones, letting the rain pour down on her from the black sky above. For the first time in years, a real tear of sorrow fell down the teenager's cheek. _Earth-Eight, where Sonny lost her co-workers, Tawny, Niko, and Grady..._

Donna, Stephanie, and Michelle Tanner, Jesse, Rebecca, Nicky, and Alex Katsopolis, Joey Gladstone, and Kimmy Gibler dropped roses on a headstone with "Danny Tanner-Loving Husband, Father, and Friend", and the headstone next to that one, with "Pamela Tanner-Loving Mother and Wife: You Are Our Sunshine" engraved into it. _Earth .1, where Danny Tanner met his end, but was reunited with his beloved wife..._

_Earth-One, where Jesse Katsopolis can never touch his wife, Rebecca again, and Miley Stewart lost her boyfriend, Jesse..._

_ Or Eath-Two,...where I lost my brothers,...and my friend, Teddy lost her brother, Gabe and her mother, Amy Duncan..._

_ We are all living beings...and we must stand together...Accept that which we cannot change...Love while we can...Know that every being holds a purpose...And take one more second to look at our lives...Because nothing lasts forever..._

_ My name is Alex Russo...And this is the story of me and my friends and family...and how we won our greatest battle... _

The End...

But Never the End


	12. Author's Note

Emerald Twilight

Emerald Dusk sat at a desk, letting the warm sunlight shine into the room. Outside, the palm trees gently blew in the wind, as did the waves on the ocean surface. Gently, the author sketched down the notes of what may be coming. The feeling of the pencil was so familiar, and each stroke felt like poetry flowing through Emerald's lungs.

_Emerald Twilight II:_


End file.
